Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: What's the difference?

Apple announced two new iPhones at an event in September, comprising the iPhone 7 and the larger iPhone 7 Plus.

In previous years, the two iPhones - the standard and the Plus - have been almost identical aside from their physical size and the inclusion of optical image stabilisation on one and not the other, but this year the difference is, well, different.

Which iPhone 7 model should you choose? Here is how the standard iPhone 7 compares to the iPhone 7 Plus and what that difference now is.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Design

The Apple iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and it weighs 138g, while the iPhone 7 Plus measures 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm and hits the scales at 188g. As you would expect, the standard iPhone 7 is therefore smaller and lighter than the Plus.

Both models feature an aluminium body that is available in Jet Black, Black, Rose Gold, Gold and Silver colour options. They both see the antenna bands on the rear move to just the top and bottom for a cleaner look than their predecessors, and they both see the removal of the headphone jack.

Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have stereo speakers on board, and they both add IP67 water and dust proofing to their builds. Where these two differ in terms of design other than size, is the iPhone 7 has a singular lens on the rear, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a dual camera setup - more on that in a minute.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Display

The Apple iPhone 7 has a 4.7-inch size display, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch display. The standard iPhone 7 has a 1334 x 750 pixel resolution, while the Plus has a Full HD resolution meaning their pixel densities are 326ppi and 401ppi, respectively.

Aside from that however, the same technology is present on both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. They both offer a Retina HD display with wide colour gamut and 3D Touch technology, the latter of which means access to different features and functions based on the force with which the user presses.

They also both have a 625 cd/m2 maximum brightness, Display Zoom, a fingerprint resistant coating and the Reachability function. Based on the numbers, the iPhone 7 Plus will offer sharper and crisper images, but the colour vibrancy and viewing angles, as well the the rest of the experience should be identical across these two devices.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Cameras

The camera department is where you'll see the biggest difference between the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 7 features a single 12-megapixel sensor with a f/1.8 aperture, while the iPhone 7 Plus features two 12-megapixel rear camera. The first is a wide-angle lens with a f/1.8 aperture, the other is a telephoto lens with a f/2.8 aperture.

This allows the iPhone 7 Plus to offer optical zoom at two times and digital zoom up to 10 times, while the iPhone 7 is only capable of digital zoom up to five times. It also means the larger device will be able to create bokeh images, when the update arrives later this year, while the iPhone 7 won't.

Aside from that, both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus feature the same functionality. They both have optical image stabilisation, something only the Plus has had in the past, and they both have a new Quad-LED True Tone flash. They also offer wide colour capture, body and face detection and 4K video recording.

The front camera is also the same on both devices with a 7-megapixel snapper featuring an f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash and auto image stabilisation. The front camera is capable of 1080p video recording and wide colour capture and body and face detection are on board here too.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Hardware

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both have the new A10 Fusion processor with embedded M10 motion co-processor under their hoods. They also both come in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options.

The iPhone 7 Plus has a larger battery capacity, with up to 21 hours of 3G talk time, compared to the iPhone 7's 14 hours, but aside from that, they both offer the same hardware.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, LTE Advanced up to 450 Mbps, and support for Apple Pay. They also both have the second-generation of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor within their Home buttons.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Software

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both run on iOS 10 meaning they will offer an almost identical user experience.

There will be a few extra software features in the camera element of the iPhone 7 Plus thanks to the dual setup, but everything else will be exactly the same. You can read all about iOS 10 and what features it offers in our tips and tricks feature.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Price

The Apple iPhone 7 starts at £599, unless you want the Jet Black model, in which case pricing starts at £699 as a 32GB model isn't available in that finish. The 256GB iPhone 7 model costs £799.

The iPhone 7 Plus starts at £719 for the 32GB model, creeping up to £819 for the 128GB model, which again is the starting model for the Jet Black finish. The 256GB model is £919.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Conclusion

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are almost identical in specs, with the exceptions being their physical size, cameras, display resolutions and battery capacities.

The size increase, extra camera functions, longer battery life and potential for sharper display images mean an extra £120 on top of the standard model though.

Ultimately, there is very little between these two devices so the decision will come down to your budget, whether you prefer a bigger phone or a smaller one, or whether the extra camera features and battery life can justify the slightly deeper hole in your pocket.